1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to waste treatment and more particularly pertains to a method which is especially adapted to the treatment and solidification of oil field wastes such as oil shale cuttings and used drilling mud.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of oil field waste treatment is known in the prior art. More specifically, methods heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of such treatment are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations and compositions, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Drilling mud, utilized to lubricate and cool the drill bit in use and to carry shale cuttings back to the surface as it is circulated from the drill pipe and back to the surface, although it usually is cleaned and reused will eventually wear out and require replacement. The used mud and shale cuttings are normally stored in pits excavated alongside the well being drilled. Ultimately this material must be removed and disposed of. Major costs are incurred in such disposal which usually terminates with the material being buried and soil used to cover the material. Since this method frequently results in seepage into ground waters it is frowned upon by the increasingly strong environmental concerns of today's world. Consequently various approaches to eliminating the problem have heretofore been proposed involving techniques for solidifying the waste products. Typical methods are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,338,134; 3,837,872; 4,880,468; 4,460,292; and 3,383,228.
In this respect, the method according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides a method primarily developed for the purpose of on-site solidifying and neutralizing such oil field wastes to produce an environmentally sound product.